BEA'S BOOK NOOK
"I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once." C. S. Lewis
“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ― Oscar Wilde

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Blurb from goodreads:

Meet cute...

Run for the hills—temporarily. That's Colbie Albright's plan when she flees New York for San Francisco. Wrangling her crazy family by day and writing a bestselling YA fantasy series by night has taken its toll. In short, Colbie's so over it that she's under it. She's also under the waters of a historic San Francisco fountain within an hour of arrival. Fortunately, the guy who fishes Colbie out has her looking forward to Christmas among strangers. But she's pretty sure Spencer Baldwin won't be a stranger for long.

Make merry...

Spence's commitment to hiding from the Ghosts of Relationships Past means he doesn't have to worry about the powerful—okay, crazy hot chemistry—he's got with Colbie. Just because she can laugh at anything, especially herself... just because she's gorgeous and a great listener just because she gets Spence immediately doesn't mean he won't be able to let Colbie go. Does it?

and hope for a miracle.

Now the clock's ticking for Colbie and Spence: Two weeks to cut loose. Two weeks to fall hard. Two weeks to figure out how to make this Christmas last a lifetime.

My Thoughts:

Welcome! I have lots of goodies for you today - my review of this book, a short excerpt, really more of a teaser and at the end, a giveaway. Sit back, get comfy, and enjoy!

Aaaah, I've been waiting for this book. Spence is my fave character and I wanted him to find an HEA. Spence is an inventor, a dreamer, a geek, emotionally closed off, and a devoted, fiercely loyal friend. He has a tendency to get lost in his work and forgot everything, and everyone, around him. That cost him his last girlfriend, who, yay! was not a toxic ex. This tendency to put work before everything is also a family trait and he's very much afraid of ending up like his grandfather.

Colbie is a successful published author who has a serious case of writer's block and an overdue book. She's also been the main support of her brothers and mother, financially and emotionally, for years. She, like Spence, gets caught up in her work and tunes out the world around her. She's been so immersed in work and her family that she has no life, no friends, and no support system. When the stress of her overdue book gets her, she runs away and right into Spence.

Their meeting is cliched but cute. There's an immediate attraction on both sides and Spence behaves impulsively, which is unusual for him. Eve, the watchdog in his group of friends, who is also both his friend and employee, is suspicious of Colbie from the beginning and keeps a close eye on her.

"Chasing Christmas Eve" is a sweet and humorous novel of two hardworking people who learn to take time for themselves, forgive their families and themselves, and to take chances emotionally. It's a sweet story with some depth to it on the topic of families. While you can read this as a stand alone, you'll appreciate Spence's journey, and his crazy friends, more if you read the series in order.

Some favorite quotes:

"I don't want to adult today," he said, nuzzling in closer. "I don't even want to human today. Today I want to dog. I want to lie on the floor in the sun. Just pet me and bring me snacks."

"But I went grocery shopping to make you dinner," she said. "I went on an empty stomach too, so I'm now the proud owner of aisles three through twelve."

Spence drew in a deep, shuddering breath that wasn’t much steadier than hers and pulled off his now crooked glasses. “Hang on a second.” He tossed them aside. “I need to check on something.”

“What?” she asked warily.

Once again he slowly drew her in, his eyes heated and focused on hers, infusing her with some of his calm. “I want to see if this is how it’s going to be.”

“How what’s going to be?” she whispered.

“This.”

His kiss started out just as slow and thoughtful as the first, all careful control. But when his tongue touched hers, control flew straight out the window.

About the author ~

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s sexy contemporary and award-winning books wherever romances are sold and click on the blog button above for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

My family didn't have any holiday traditions. At least not my part of it. My wife's family tradition is currently in the works. Their tradition is to break the Yom Kippor fast on apple pie made to her grandmother's recipe. To that I've purchased 7 lbs of Cortlands and 8 lbs of Macs. The Sunday after Rosh Hashanah the kids will invade one by one making their pies here and taking them home when finished.

One of my favorite traditions for us...is a box of individually wrapped books magically appears under the Christmas tree on December 1st...with instructions for our little one to open one book each night before bed...to read as our bedtime story that night. There is one for everyday ....and when we open the last one...its Christmas Eve! We have so much fun reading all the new books!

Health Note

I've got a shoulder injury, the exact nature of which my doctor is still determining. But it's affecting my ability to type. So posts will be delayed, and comments on other blogs, as well as my own, are on hiatus until typing is less painful or not painful at all.

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